Day 11 - Villambistia to Atapuerca.

A beautiful walk today up into the mountains and through the woods; very small oak and pine trees. As we went up the mountain the fog (or clouds?) came down to meet us. We stopped for a rest at a viewpoint and as Paul said "our reward was invisible" see photo below.
About 5 minutes further on a slight breeze appeared and blew away the fog to reveal a beautiful clear blue sky.
Soon everything warms up and the scent of pine and flowers is wonderful. Usually the first thing I say each day as we wake up in the albergues is "I love the smell of pilgrims in the morning!"
Someone asked me why all the bedrooms smell of feet; I replied that it is the people that smell of feet!
The accommodation varies widely in quality and price; from 5 to 12 euros or donativo which means you pay what you want or can afford. Some pilgrims are very wealthy and sometimes moan a bit about standards and quality; maybe they should stay in a hotel or Casa Rural? There is an often displayed mantra on the Camino; "Tourists expect, Pilgrims thank"
To qualify to stay in the albergues you need to have a pilgrims passport or "credencial". This is  an official document issued at authorised places along the Camino. They take your personal and passport details and add a stamp of authenticity. Each place you visit - bars, churches or albergues add a stamp or "sello" with the date to prove you have been there. When you arrive at your albergue for the night they check to see that you have walked the Camino and don't just want a cheap bed for the night. It works really well. There is a photo below of my passport so far.

 
Tonight we are in a nice modern place with 6 rooms of six beds; two pairs of bunk beds and two single beds. As Paul and I were the first to be shown our room we grabbed the singles.
There is a young American couple in our room; he is walking in Crocs that are two sizes too big and she in tiny leather sandals. Barbie (as I call her) started crying 5 mins after arrival about something not being nice? It is tempting to say "You're not on a bloody beach holiday, you bimbo!" but I said something like "Maybe tomorrow you will have a better day."

I am in Atapuerca for the night; a very important prehistoric site. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000 on account of its source of the earliest ever European human remains; dating back over 900,000 years. (That is almost as old as my mother in law!)
They have confirmed that our ancestors were cannibals. Not sure what we will be eating tonight as everywhere seems to shut on Sunday and sometimes Monday too.
See below my Pilgrim Passport, my mother in law as a young girl (sorry Sylvia, I miss you really), a walk in the woods, some nice Camino signs, my Camino buddy in his favourite shirt, some graffiti, a picture of Stefan the German who we saw again at a cafe and some butterflies.

 
Buenas Dias, Ian.

PS - Mike, thank you for the comment, have a great time and remember "shiny side up."

Day 10 - Granõn to Villambistia

Well, last night they rang the bells all bloody night and the floor was as hard as nails. Apart from that it was brilliant!

The walk today was a bit boring; green wheat fields in all directions and a long walk alongside a main road for about four hours. It is very hot but there is a wonderful breeze.
Paul and I walked past an albergue with a real swimming pool, all facilities and just 5 euros a night. It was only midday and we felt we should walk further. This could be a mistake. They had no weefee yesterday or at the pool albergue (rhymes with gay) so we stopped in the village of Belorado in the region Castilla y Leon (we left Rioja this morning) for our fix of coffee and weefee.
The afternoon walk was much better and varied with hills, trees of oak and pine, many colourful flowers and the birds are singing again (except the eagles, of which there are many)
These small pueblos are very peasant, they look after their houses and gardens with great care. Also everyone is much friendlier. Everyone calls out "Hola, Buenas Dias" or "Buen Camino."

We have stopped in Villambistia (population about 50) at a newly built albergue which is above a local bar. (bummer) It is very nicely decorated and tiled, fresh sheets and pillowcases for us, the owners wife has just offered to wash and dry all our clothes in a machine.  Free weefee, cheap beer and food, for 6 euros a night. (no swimming pool, but cheap beer (did I already say it was very cheap beer?)
Yesterday I lost my hat when I stopped for lunch in Santa Domingo de la Calzada. I should write a song about it; "I left my hat in San Domingo, High on a hill, it calls to me."

We are sitting in the sun and I thought I saw a cloud just now, maybe not?
We have now walked a total of 250 kms (about 155 miles, nearly a third of the way to Santiago)
Look for the storks on the church. A special stone, a possible cloud, a clue to our location this morning, some huge wheat fields and a hint of the temperature (scorchio!)

Muchas gracias, Ian.

ps Instead of a rest day I may have some cheap beer, excellent cheap food and an early night. 

What did you do today?

Day 9 - Azofra to Granõn - Bats in the belfry

Last night I slept so well that I didn't wake until 7am. I probably needed the sleep and the legs were a bit stiff for the first five or six kms. no vineyards today, mostly wheat fields.
To give you an idea what the Camino is like; imagine getting up much earlier than you normally do, putting on your shorts, socks, boots and brushing your teeth. Next you put the equivalent of 8 or 9 bags of sugar on your back and then walk uphill for six or seven hours in the blazing heat. Every couple of hours you can top up with water from a fuente (public water tap) or if you are lucky buy a coffee or a coke and something to eat. Then you repeat this every day for five or six weeks!
Somehow this is still exhilarating - or is the heat getting to me?
Wendy asked me last night when I was going to have a rest day. It had not occurred to me to even consider it yet.

I walked through Santa Domingo de Calzada today, supposed to be my destination but decided to walk on as I prefer staying at the smaller places. Tonight I am staying in Granõn (pop about 20?) I am sleeping on a mat on the floor in the bell tower of the very old church. It is a donativo hostel (you pay what you want or can afford) and it is better than any hotel I have ever stayed in! The tranquillity, character and atmosphere is magical and relaxing. There are about 20 of us there tonight and our meal is being cooked by the volunteers who run it. They also give us breakfast before we leave at seven in the morning (another lie in!)

Some photos...long morning shadow, a slower walker than me, Some views, storks on a tower, my accommodation for the night, a pilgrim playing the mandolin and my lunch today.
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I hope they do not ring the church bells all night!

Ian.

Day 8 - Logroño to Nájera (and beyond)

This morning I walked past a road-sign to Santander, that is my final destination in Spain after my Camino. Funny to think that I am now walking away from my destination. Yesterday I sent home a package of things that I did not need to bring with me; it only weighed about 800g but it all counts!

Leaving Logroño as the sun came up was pleasant, they have a beautiful lake and parkland to the west of the town. I had to walk alongside a motorway for about 3 miles with a chain link fence on the side of the Camino. Everyone makes a cross with two twigs and links it into the fence; there were about 50 in every section of fence for over two miles! Many tens of thousands.
The temperature is going up up up. About 33 today and 36 tomorrow. The plan was to walk 30 km today, when I got to Najerra it was another big town so I carried on to Azorfa; a village that would probably not exist if not for the Camino. There is a bar, a restaurant, a church and our albergue (with a pool about 3 metres square) what more do you need?
I think today's walk was about 38 kms (almost 25 miles) which was tough in the heat. The feet are cooling nicely now. Paul from Holland is keeping up with me. We saw Norwegian Gina yesterday but I think she is behind us now. (I wish you well Gina, walk your Camino at your speed) No sound of Stefan at the moment but the day before yesterday he seemed more relaxed and gave me a big hug when he saw me! I think he is relaxing at last.
Grape vines for miles in every direction today, real Rioja country. There are some lovely ranch style mansions that are probably where the successful wine growers live. The only security they have is big dogs that roam free; there are warning signs everywhere.

Some nice photos from today....
Sticks on a fence, a suicide platform over a railway line, a big bull, some more dead boots, some vines and views. Also some stones, some secret messages and some cooling feet.
And a beer with some football.

 
Update: Paul and I have just ordered our Pilgrim Meal and realised that you get one bottle of wine per table. There are five on the table next to us and they will lose out. Tomorrow we will try to sit on separate tables.

Hope you are all well, Ian.

Day 7 - Los Arcos to Logroño

Today was a long hike; in increasing heat. I am now sitting by the fountain in the courtyard at Logroño Municipal Albergue. It is around 30 deg C; going up to 33 or so tomorrow. We have walked around 28 kms today, a running total of around 165 kms so far.

Paul and I walked together, starting as the bells of the church of Santa Maria struck 07:00. A pleasant walk through agricultural fields and hills; changing from wheat to olives then to vines. Many fruit trees and asparagus also. As the sun popped through the clouds it shone on the wheat fields like gold; maybe this is where they get the gold to line their churches?
The Camino now has such long sections away from roads etc that they warn you if you are approaching traffic. Of course any signs get covered in graffiti.
Guys, remember when we made the patio at Casa Sara? Well our stone laying was better than some I saw this morning (photo below) mind you, this paving went on for nearly a mile; winding off over the hills.
I am now in Rioja country, having left Navarra behind. Logroño is the capital and is quite industrial (pop 140,000)

An even longer day tomorrow but it is now getting easier. The feet and legs now know what to do.

Some pictures below of discarded boots, the smallest shrine in Spain, my reflection in a mirror (not realising what was behind my head) a bizzare message written on a vest in a tree (nothing to do with me) and some pics approaching the city. And one of pilgrims cooling their feet.